US strikes Iranian-backed militia facilities in Syria
By Rebecca Kheel - 02/25/21 08:20 PM EST The U.S. military hit facilities used by Iranian-backed militants in eastern Syria on Thursday in retaliation for recent rocket attacks in Iraq targeting U.S. interests, the first known military action ordered by President Biden.
“At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria,†Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
“These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel,†he added. “Specifically, the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kait’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kait’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).â€
Describing the strikes as a “proportionate military response,†Kirby said they were carried out in concert with “diplomatic measures,†including consulting partners in the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq and Syria.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/540631-us-strikes-iranian-backed-militia-facilities-in-syria
